Silver: chicken or the egg?

Even though we live in the age of the 24/7 news cycle, seasonal patterns can still influence behavior in numismatics.

The autumn collector season began with the passing of the Labor Day holiday. Collectors are coming indoors to their favorite hobby.

The result?

I don’t think it is a coincidence that collectors bought 62,623 proof 2012-W silver American Eagles in the past week. That was almost triple the sales of 22,848 the week before, which itself was double the number of the week before that.

Of course, it is just as plausible to ascribe the sudden jump to rising silver prices. An ounce of the precious metal is now nearly $34, up over $6 in five weeks.

An expectation that silver will go higher still might be motivating proof Eagle buyers who had been on the fence to jump off it and get their coins for the current $54.95.

Whether the seasonal pattern is asserting itself, or a strong silver bullion market is drawing collectors back into new issues, the outcome is the same for organized numismatics: autumn 2012 should prove to be a strong period of time for the nation’s coin dealers.

One Response to Silver: chicken or the egg?

I’m wondering if this being an election year has anything to do with it. Not sure if that matters or not in this instance. Just a thought.
Really , really enjoy reading this blog each day. Very thought provoking.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor (December 20, 2016) Guide books suggest elitism exists in hobby
The letter I wrote a few weeks ago was not intended to be an insult to anyone but were merely examples of my experience with both coin and stamp collecting. It was meant to be a general discussion about the hobby abroad, not simply about one denomination out of ...